Gilbert of Sempringham, Saint

Gilbert of Sempringham, Saint

▪ Roman Catholic priest
Gilbert also spelled  Guilbert  
born c. 1083, , Sempringham, Lincolnshire, Eng.
died Feb. 4, 1189, Sempringham; canonized 1202; feast day February 4, feast day in Northampton and Nottingham February 16

      English priest, prelate, and founder of the Ordo Gilbertinorum Canonicorum or Ordo Sempringensis (Order of Gilbertine Canons, or Sempringham Order), commonly called Gilbertines, the only medieval religious order of English origin.

      After studies in Paris, he was ordained priest in 1123 and became parson of Sempringham. There, in 1131, he founded a home for girls, whom he spiritually guided and to whom he assigned a rule of life fashioned after that of St. Benedict of Nursia. To perform heavy work, such as cultivation, he formed a number of labourers into a society of brothers attached to the convent. Later he added lay sisters in the domestic offices and ministering clerics and priests, who, as canons regular, followed the Rule of St. Augustine of Hippo. Thus, the Gilbertines were structured with four levels of nuns, lay sisters, canons, and lay brothers.

      Similar establishments grew elsewhere, and, after failing in 1147 to incorporate them in the Cistercian order, Gilbert received encouragement from Pope Eugenius III to continue as before. In the following year, the Pope approved the new order, confirming Gilbert as its first master general. The Sempringham Canons were a double community of men and women, the property belonging to the nuns and the superior being head of the establishment. There were also houses for canons only, all under the master of Sempringham. During Gilbert's lifetime the order reached several thousand members, all associated with such institutions as orphanages, hospitals, and almshouses.

      In 1165 Gilbert fell out of royal favour; he was charged by officials of King Henry II with having assisted in the escape of Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, who had taken refuge in France from the King's wrath. Affirming ecclesiastical rights, Gilbert refused to deny the charges, and the case was eventually dropped. Subsequent revolt among his lay brothers, however, caused a scandal that was finally judged at Rome; Gilbert was vindicated of the slander he had suffered. Forced by old age (he reputedly lived 106 years) to resign his generalship, Gilbert retired to the simple rule of his order. Except for one Scottish house, the Gilbertines never spread beyond England. They were brutally dissolved (1538–40) by King Henry VIII.

Additional Reading
Raymond Foreville and Gillian Keir (eds.), The Book of St. Gilbert (1987); Brian Golding, Gilbert of Sempringham and the Gilbertine Order (1995).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gilbert of Sempringham, Saint — • Short biography of the founder of the Gilbertines, who died in 1189 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Gilbert de Sempringham — Gilbert de Sempringham, né à Sempringham (Angleterre) entre 1083 et 1089 où il est mort en 1189, est le fondateur de l ordre de Saint Gilbert. Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Culte 3 Références …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gilbert of Sempringham — Infobox Saint name=Saint Gilbert of Sempringham birth date=c. 1083 death date=February 4, 1190 feast day=February 16 venerated in=Roman Catholic Church imagesize=250px caption= birth place=Sempringham, Lincolnshire, England death… …   Wikipedia

  • Gilbert of Sempringham — (c. 1083–1189)    Saint and Order Founder.    Gilbert was born in Sempringham, now in Lincolnshire, England. After ordination, he became the parish priest of Sempringham and there he encouraged seven women to follow the Cistercian Rule. The order …   Who’s Who in Christianity

  • Saint-Gilbert — Administration Pays  Canada Province …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saint-gilbert — Ajouter une image Administration Pays  Canada …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gilbert de Neuffonts — Gilbert dit de Neuffonts, est un religieux prémontré, qui vivait au XIIe siècle. Il est vénéré comme saint dans l église catholique. Sommaire 1 Vie 2 L abbaye Saint Gilbert de Neuffonts 3 Sources …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saint Gilbert — may refer to:*Gilbert of Sempringham, founder of the Gilbertine Order *Gilbert de Moravia (d. 1245), later known as Saint Gilbert of Dornoch, Bishop of Caithness and founder of Dornoch Cathedral *Gilbert of Meaux, Bishop of Meaux …   Wikipedia

  • Saint Gilbert — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Pour les articles homonymes, voir Saint Gilbert et Gilbert. Saint Gilbert désigne plusieurs saints chrétiens, classés ci dessous par ordre chronologique… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sempringham — 52° 52′ 43″ N 0° 21′ 34″ W / 52.87863, 0.35949 …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”